“Tracing the History of Karnataka, Maharashtra Slipped Out: Laxmi Hebbalkar on Belagavi Row | Exclusive

Laxmi Hebbalkar, the minister for Karnataka, has stated that her remark about Belagavi being a part of Maharashtra was a mere “lip of the tongue.” Hebbalkar, who was elected as an MLA from the rural Belagavi seat, told News18 that she planned to talk about the history of Karnataka and how its six districts were formerly a part of the Bombay province before to independence.

Hebbalkar said in a now-viral speech video that “Belagavi belonged to Maharashtra before Independence.”

“TONGUE SLIP: A HUMAN MISTAKE”
“Maharashtra fell out of my mouth by accident. It was no more than a human mistake. In an exclusive interview, Hebbalkar said, “I was just following the formation of Karnataka’s history along linguistic lines, like other states.”

The state minister for women and child development, Hebbalkar, remarked that Maharashtra slipped out of her tongue instead of stating Bombay Presidency. She went on to say that she planned to document the creation of Karnataka, its history, and the ways in which several of its districts were incorporated into the Bombay presidency. In 1956, Belgaum was merged into the newly created state of Mysore, as per the State Reorganisation Act, which divided states based on language.

“All I was trying to say to the folks was that they shouldn’t feel excluded simply because they are at the boundaries. All Karnataka residents will have our undivided support as the Congress administration does. She went on, “Those who are at the borders shouldn’t believe they are being disregarded.

Hebbalkar went on to say that she would want to reaffirm for the benefit of her detractors that Belagavi is and always will be a part of Karnataka. With the exception of that one lapse, Hebbalkar invited her detractors to take a step back and consider the context of her remarks as she clarified. She spoke on language and literature and how they have formed Karnataka’s rich cultural history during the Sixth Kannada Convention, which was held at Karadga Village, Belagavi.

The hamlet of Karadaga marks the end of Karnataka and the beginning of Maharashtra’s boundary. I went there to let everyone know that the Karnataka administration stands with them and that we are all glad to be Kannadigas,” the woman said.

BJP INVITES HEBBALKAR TO REMIND
The Karnataka BJP called it an insult to the 6.5 crore Kannadigas and demanded Hebbalkar’s resignation, accusing him of using the event as a political vote-bank statement. Reactions followed in rapid succession.

R Ashoka, the leader of the opposition, criticized her remarks, describing them as inflammatory and needless.

“Belagavi will always be an essential component of Karnataka, no matter what happens in the future. Belagavi is another state power center, and it will always be a part of Karnataka as long as the sun and moon exist, Ashoka tweeted.

In addition, Hebbalkar’s remarks were criticized by Karnataka BJP head BY Vijayendra, who described them as unworthy of a minister. “It is an effort to undermine Karnataka’s sovereignty and the state’s linguistic unity… He remarked, “Let chief minister Siddaramaiah, who gives grandiose statements about his devotion to Kannada, remove this traitorous minister from the cabinet right now.

Belgauvi is a part of Karnataka, according to former deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who also voiced his opinion on the matter. Because there shouldn’t be any political conspiracies in this respect, the administration calls for the assembly meeting to be held in Belagavi.

Karnataka and Maharashtra have been at odds over the northern Karnataka town of Belagavi for the last sixty years.

WHAT IS THE DISPUTE ABOUT?
Since 1960, Maharashtra has maintained that 865 bordering Karnataka villages, including Karwar, Nippani, and Belgaum (formerly known as Belgaum), should be amalgamated with their state since they have a greater proportion of Marathi speakers than Karnataka. In retaliation, Karnataka said it will not split from Belagavi and asserted its claim to approximately 260 villages in Maharashtra, most of which are Kannada-speaking.

Despite having a higher Marathi-speaking population, Belgaum was absorbed into the Mysore state, which is today known as Karnataka. The 1881 census, which revealed that 26.04% of Belgaum residents spoke Marathi and 64.39% of people spoke Kannada, served as the basis for this decision.

Senapati Bapat, a social activist, began a hunger strike in favor of Maharashtra’s demand. Due to this, the central government established the Mahajan Committee in 1966 with representatives from the two states, with the aim of resolving the boundary dispute.

The Mahajan Committee recommended in their report from August 1967 that 247 villages in Belagavi should remain in Karnataka and 264 villages should be transferred to Maharashtra. The committee suggested that the state of Mysore be granted possession of Kasargod in Kerala and Sholapur in Maharashtra. Maharashtra disagreed with this report, calling it irrational and unjust. Since then, the issue has been mired in legal disputes, political verbal sparring, and even physical altercations between the two states.

In an additional significant move to emphasize the state’s claim over the district, Karnataka constructed a second seat of government in Belagavi called “Suvarna Soudha,” which is a duplicate of Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha and hosts the winter session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.